In this tutorial, we will explore how to create an abstract, painterly effect applied to a head scan model to produce a ghostly looking portrait. In this tutorial, we will specifically use the standard_surface shader in combination with the range and camera_projection shader to produce this effect. You will need a head model for this tutorial. An example of a free to use head scan model can be found here. You will be required to use your own texture for this tutorial. Further examples using this technique can be found here and here.
Head model render (without plane)
Head shader
Create another standard_surface shader and assign it to the plane.
Increase the transmission_weight to around 0.9.
Connect the same projected texture to the specular_IOR and transmission_color via a range shader. The range shader is used to define how much the texture will refract and can be used to fine-tune the effect.
Increase the output_max of the range shader to around 6 and the input_max to around 2. Try experimenting with the other values of the range shader to get interesting effects.
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output_max: 0 | output_max: 1 (default) | output_max: 6 |
Plane refracting head behind it
Plane shader